Pneumatic-tire mounting.



E. K. BAKER.

PNEUMATIC TIRE MOUNTING.

APPLIOATIOI FILED JULY 3, 1911.

Patented May 5, 191i 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' FE EHQ/Ze E. K. BAKER.

PNEUMATIC TIRE MOUNTING.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 3, 1 911.

. Patented May 5, 1914.

8 -SHEETB -SEEH'I' 2,

E. K. BAKER.

INEUMATIG TIRE MOUNTING.-

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1911.

1,095,777. PatentedMay 5, 1914,

3 SHEETS-SHEETB.

ed by the UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE.

EBLE K. BAKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNIVERSAL RIM COMPANY,OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PNEUMATIC-TIRE MOUNTING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1914.

Continuation in part of application Serial No. 566,605, filed June 13,1910. This application filed July 3,

Serial No. 636,693.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERLE K. BAKER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Pneumatic-Tire Mountings, of which thefollowing is a full, true, clear, and exact description, such as willenable others skilled in the art to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in automobile wheels havingdemountable rims, and the objects of my invention are to improve andsimplify the construction of the wedging and clamping devices that areused for detachably or separably connecting such wheels and rims,-tostrengthensuch devices and make them more durable and reliable, toextend and amplify their functions and operations,to provide rimclamping wedge devices of such form and manner of operation as tomarkedly lessen the time required to mount and demount an automobilewheel rim,-make them permanent parts of the wheel structure so thatthough movable within limits for the removal and replacement of the rimthey nevertheless need not be either partly or wholly taken off of thewheel when a change of rims is to be effected,to provide permanent rimclamping and wedging devices so formed and protectrim as to preventtheir being broken or sheared off when the wheel runs against a curb,and generally to provide an improved structure of this kind which shallbe strong and substantial and yet be of little weight and low cost.

\Vith these objects in view my-invention consists in the improvementshereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

This application is a continuation of my earlier application Serial No.566,605, filed June 13th, 1910, being substantially a division thereof,and embodies subject matter also previously shown but not claimed in my'co-pendingapplications Serial No. 606,992, filed February 6th, 1911,and Serial No. 607,997, filed February 11th, 1911.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to theappended drawings; in whichc Figure 1 illustrates an automobile wheelrim and wedging and clamping devices embodying my invention; Fig. 2 isan enlarged clamping devices view of a portion of the wheel with acomplete clamping device; Fig. 3 is a sectionalview on the line 3-3 ofFig. 2; 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4: of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the combined stop or limiting block and threaded nutwhich. forms part of my novel clamping device; Fig. 6 is a perspectiveView of the complete wedging and clamping device in assembled form,dissociated from the wheel; Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the irregularsection line 7-7 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 8 is a sectional view on theirregular section line 8-8 of Fig. 3.

The automobile wheel, as shown in the drawings, comprises a hub 3,spokes 4, a felly 5 and the metal felly band 6. Ordinary rims 8 forpneumatic tires 9 are shown. On the inner side, meaning toward the bodyof the automobile, the felly band 6 has the usual inclined annularflange 7 to receive the inward thrust of the rim, limit its inwardmovement upon the wheel and help center it on the wheel.

As clearly shown in the drawings the rim 8 is larger than the telly band6 and there is a gap or annular space 10 between the two in which thewedging and clamping lugs may work. There are several of these lugs.They are spaced around the wheel on the outer side thereof and togetherwith the felly band flange 7 they serve to support, center and fix therim upon the wheel.

In Fig. 1, the clamping wedge lugs at points marked A are represented asin working position. At point B such lug is shown in partly disengagedposition, and at point C the lug is shown turned away from the rim tofree the rim. The wedging and are of the same construction throughoutand a description of one will serve for all. In preferred form, each ofthese devices comprises three principal parts, to wit, acombined stopblock and nut on the inner side of the wheel, a bolt long enough to passthrough the wheel folly and screw in and out of the nut, and a clampingwedge lug loosely swiveled on the head end or outer end of the bolt andthereby movable in both directions as required to fasten and unfastenthe rim on the wheel.

With these parts are associated a face plate 11 and means which fastenthe face plate and said nut to the telly of the wheel. In

preferred form, the fastening means are rivets 12.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the clamping bolt 14 occupies a hole 15in the felly 5 close to the felly band 6. The threaded nut for the boltis fixed and fastened on the in ner side of the wheel and extends intothe hole 15. The bolt screws back and forth in the nut. The clampingwedge, indicated by the reference numerals 16-16, acts between the fellyband and the rim and serves as a driver to force the rim upon the wheel.The wedge Works against one flaring side 17 of the rimwhile the flange 7of the felly band receives the other flaring side 17 of the rim. Theinner end of the wedge is pointed so that it may easily enter thedescribed space 10 between the rim and wheel. Once the end of the wedgeis thus entered the wedge rides on the felly band and its movement isdirectly inward, the clamping effect being gained by the inclined top orouter surface of the wedge. The wedge is necessarily eccentric to thebolt and its resistance puts a heavy strain on the latter. As none ofthe parts can be very large it is most desirable that the relationbetween the wedge lug and operating device (the bolt) be such as toafford maximum strength, rigidity and durability. Once the wedges aredriven inward or home by their bolts they very firmly hold the rim onthe wheel and are themselves firmly held between the rim and the fellyband. Therefore considerable force is required to withdraw them. Iaccomplish such withdrawal by means of the bolts and at the same timesecure a maximum of strength in the device as a whole.

swiveling this shank on the outer end of the bolt. The wedge 1616 andshank 18 form what I term a wedge lug, the same in effect constituting arim engaging lug on the Wheel. As shown in Figs. 3 and 7 the bolt passesthrough a hole 20 in the Wedge lug shank and this hole is elongated toallow the wedge to readily adjust itself to the felly band and rim. Thehead 14 of the bolt engages the outer side of the shank 18 to drive itinward. Another shoulder on the bolt acts to drive the wedge lug outwardwhen the bolt is turned in the other direction. This shoulder may bevariously located and formed on the bolt, but, preferably, and to retainthe advantages of the slot 20 and cheapness of construction, I make theneeded shoulder 23 by swaging a sleeve 24: onto the bolt with one endbearing against the inner side of the shank 18 of the wedge lug. To holdthe sleeve on the bolt I form a groove 25 having asharp shoulder 26 inthe bolt and swage the other end of the sleeve down into this groove, asclearly shown in Fig. 3. Added to this function, the sleeve 24: servesto markedly strengthen the bolt where it receives the greatest bendingstrain from the wedge lug and also furnishes a large bearing close tothe head of the bolt. The sleeve, or bolt enlargement, fits the hole 15and overlaps the face plate 11, which therefore provides a metallicbearing for the bolt close up to the wedge lug. v The combined.- stopblock and nut comprises the blot-lvportion 27, the boss or sleeveportion 28 and the side wings 29, 29. The wings and integral blockportion 27 fit against the felly and form a rear face plate. The part 28fits the hole 15 and the thread extends through both. the block and bossportions, as show 1 in Fig. 3. The block portion 27 has an extension orstop proper 30 which engages the felly band, its inner surface 31 beingconformed to the edge of the felly band. This stop 30 strengthens theflange 7 and, primarily, holds the felly band on the felly against thedisplacing action of the bolt and wedge lug.

Referring now to Fig. 8 it will be seen that the fastenings of the rearface plate (block and nut), namely the rivets 12, extend through thefelly and also fasten the front plate 11. For convenience in assemblingthe parts the plate 11 is provided with a U- shap'ed notch 32 whichaccommodates the bolt. The threads of the boltand the nut are longenough to permit the bolt to be turned out to free the inner end orpoint of the wedge fromthe felly band without detaching the bolt. Whenthe lug is thus freed it may be turned down out of the way to free therim. To minimize the movement of the lug in freeing the rim'I'cut offor.bevel one inner corner of the wedge lug, as

clearly shown in Fig. This novel formation of the wedge lug is notclaimed in this application but is fully described and claimed in myco-pending companion application Serial No. 639,393, filed-July 19th,1911.-

The improvements herein described provide for wedge lugs thatare'positively operable in both directions and generally provide aconstruction in which there are no loose or removable parts other thanthe rim itself whereas the general practicehas been to take the nutsfrom the bolts and then re-- move the wedge lugs. By these improvementsthe operation of demounting and remounting a rim is rendered moreconvenient and quicker to carry out.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent l. A demountable-rim clamping device for automobilewheels characterized by a straight screw bolt having a. head on itsouter end, in combination with a wedge lug 'as described looselyswireled upon said bolt for self adjustment as described and heldagainst said head for movement with the bolt in both directions.

3. A demountable-rim clamping device for automobile wheels characterizedby a straight screw bolt having a head on its outer end, in combinationwith a wedge lug as described swiveled upon said bolt and a sleeve fixedon said bolt and holding said lug against said head for movement withthe bolt in both directions.

4. A demountable-rim clamping device for automobile wheels characterizedby a straight screw bolt having a head on its outer end. in combinationwith a slotted wedge lug as described swiveled upon said bolt and asleeve swaged on said bolt and holding said lug against said head formovement with the bolt in both directions.

5. A demountable-rim clamping device for automobile wheels characterizedby a straight screw bolt having a head on its outer end, in combinationwith a wedge lug as described loosely swiveled upon said bolt for selfadjustment as described, a combined bolt nut and telly band stop andmeans for fastening the same to a wheel felly.

(3. A demountable-rim clamping device for automobile wheelscharacterized by a straight screw bolt having a head on its outer end.in combination with a combined bo-ltnut and'felly band stop, means forfastening the same to a wheel fellv and a wedge lug as described looselyswiveled upon said bolt for self adjustment as described, and heldagainstsaid head for movenent with the bolt in both directions.

7. A demountable-rim clamping device for automobile wheels characterizedby a straight screw bolt having a head on its outer end, in combinationwith a combined bolt nut and felly band stop, a front face plate, rivetsfor binding said combined nut and stop and said plate to opposite sidesof the wheel folly and a wedge lug as described loosely swireled uponsaid bolt for self adjustment as described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 21st day of June,1911, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

V ERLE K. BAKER.

Witnesses A EDWARD F. WILSON,

' JOHN R. LEFEVRE.

